Haven
by hollowhorror
Summary: Three years ago, her world came crashing down. Two years ago, her world was reborn in the form of a human named Haven but after a disease takes her mother, Caroline leaves her village with the her child and her best friend, Stefan Salvatore. Three days later and over 100 miles away from home, the three of them arrive in a village that is home to the Mikaelson family. klaroline.


**Hi guys! New author with a new story here! I'm sure you guys would've figured it out on your own but this story is set when the Mikaelson's are human. Klaus is still an untriggered werewolf but I've also made him (as well as the rest of the Mikaelson siblings) a warlock. I'm not sure if they actually were witches/warlocks before being turned but I'm throwing it in here because it's a big part of the story and it helps with the plot! Moving on from that though, the first chapter may have some triggering content (namely rape and character death) so if those things trigger you, please be hesitant when reading! That's all for now but I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! If you do, leave a review and tell me what you think. :)**

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 **three years ago - june 21st.**

"Shall we go?" Caroline nodded, a pleasant smile on her face as she took the outstretched hand in front of her. The last two months of her life had been amazing and that was all thanks to the man next to her. Before he began courting her, she was still trying to get over the loss of her father but somehow— with his charming smile and his sweet compliments, he had managed to keep her mind off of the pain. He made her feel alive again. She no longer felt like her world was falling apart before her eyes because she was so blisfully in love that a live without him was something she never wanted to even _think_ about.

"Where are we going, Damon?" Caroline asked, her greyish blue eyes looking up at him in wonder but all she got in reply was a smirk and a raise of his eyebrows. She huffed in response, both annoyed and amused that he wouldn't give in and tell her where they were headed. While she did want to know, Caroline was okay with him surprising her. She did love surprises after all.

After what felt like maybe twenty minutes of walking, they reached a lake that was surrounded by trees and all kinds of flowers. "Here we are." Damon stated, his eyes watching for her reaction.

Caroline stepped forward, her hand leaving his as a wide smile appeared on her face. She looked around, her eyes lighting up every time they landed on a different type of flower. She took a couple of more steps, only to kneel down and pick one of the many flowers in front of her. She raised it to her nose and inhaled, the smile on her face growing as she did so. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her entire life.

"This is wonderful," she breathed, her eyes meeting Damon's once more.

"I'm glad you think so," he smiled his charming smile and held his hand out in her direction. "Come."

Caroline eagerly grabbed his hand, following him as he led her to the other side of the lake. He stopped in front of a blanket and motioned for her to sit down before disappearing behind the trees. He came back not even a minute later, a basket in hand and she smiled wideley as she realized they were going to have a picnic.

After sitting down next to her, Damon reached into the basket and pulled out bread, berries, and slices of meat. He then pulled out two wooden cups, presumably for water later, and set them next to the food. He picked up one of the berries and held it to her mouth, a small smile on his face. "Open."

Caroline giggled and opened her mouth, only to close it again once he placed the berry in her mouth. She chewed it, moaning in content as she swallowed the sweet fruit. "Delicious."

The couple continued on like that for a while, happily feeding each other berries, bread, and meat while watching the sun slowly descend as night grew closer. Caroline was in awe of the everything around her, from the beautiful pinks and oranges in the sky, the array of flowers surrounding them and last but the most important of all— Damon.

The two talked for what felt like hours about anything and everything, from the death of her father to the last prank he played on Stefan— which admittedly had her in a laughing fit. Even with the serious topics, Caroline still found that she was smiling. Not even the recent loss of a loved one could take away her happiness at that very moment. If she could spend the rest of her life like this, she'd be perfectly content. But of course, something always has to ruin her happiness.

Caroline stiffened when she felt Damon's lips press to the back of her neck. She tried leanin forward, only to realize he had wrapped his arm around her waist. "Damon," she hadn't meant to sound so breathless when she spoke but that's how it came out. It was no surprise that he took the sound of her voice as a good thing because the kisses on her neck became open mouthed and urgent. "Damon, stop."

"Why?" He whispered, his mouth not even an inch away from her ear. "You don't want me?" He asked, his lips returning to her neck just seconds later.

Damon leaned over her, causing her to fall back until she was flat against the blanket. He ran his hands along her thighs, bringing her dress up with it. Caroline pushed at his hands but he only used on of his own to hold them above her head. "Damon, please stop." His only response was to grunt and hike her dress even further up her legs. She tried removing her hands from his grip but he wouldn't budge. Withouot even a warning from him, her dress was up around her waist and her underwear just below her knees. Caroline couldn't stop the tears as she struggled against him. Just a few minutes ago, she was thinking about how happy she was but that was shattered— now she was just terrified.

Caroline wasn't sure how long she struggled against him, how long she cried and begged for him to stop but he only rolled off of her when he was finished having his way with her. Caroline took that time to get away from him, pulling her underwear back up her legs and running as fas as she could until she was safely in her small room. She didn't bother to change once she was there, instead falling on to the bed made of wood and hay. She curled herself up into a ball, pulling her blanket made of animal skin and fur over her head. Caroline ignored the concerned questions coming from her mother as she cried herself into a fitful sleep.

 **the present - september 8th.**

"No mother, I will not leave you," Caroline cried as she held tightly to her mothers hand.

"You must. I beg of you Caroline. Take Haven and go and do not stop until you find shelter. Please— Damon has already been lost to this disease, leave before it takes you as well." Tears fell frealy down her face as she looked into Caroline's sad eyes. "Please. I love you more than you know, Caroline. Never forget that."

The blonde watched helplessly as her mother closed her eyes, her last breath leaving her as she did so. She dropped her face into her hands as sobs racked her body, jumping as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her away from the now lifeless body in front of her. Caroline fought with everything she had to stay with her mother but ultimately, she lost that fight.

"We must go, Caroline. You heard your mother, we must leave before the disease reaches us or Haven." Caroline looked up at Stefan helplessly, the heartbreak from losing her mother clear on her face. She used the sleeve of her dress to wipe away the tears before reluctantly nodding.

"Gather food. We can find water along the way. It's still warm outside so I will dress Haven and gather as much of her clothing as I can. We will stay in your home tonight and leave first thing in the morning." Her words were quiet but Stefan nodded to show he heard her. "I will bring Haven over now. You have riding equipment for the horses, yes?"

"I do. Once I feel we have enough food, I will get two horses ready." Stefan looked at Caroline sadly as she tried to keep her tears at bay. "Once you are finished, get as much rest as you can. Do not wait up for me."

Caroline only nodded in response as she turned and headed to the small room that held her sleeping daughter. A tiny, barely noticeable smile graced her face as she looked at her. Caroline took a deep breath before gathering most of Haven's clothes and placing them in a basket. After hooking the basket over her arm, she picked Haven up and walked out of the hut for the last time.

 **the next morning - september 9th.**

Not surprisingly, Caroline was the first to wake that morning. The events of the day before were gone from her memory for a mere thirty seconds before they forced their way back into her mind. She had to physically stop herself from falling into a ball of tears by squeezing her eyes shut and wrapping her arms around her torse, her bottom lip taking a beating by her teeth in the process.

After regaining her composure, the blonde lifted herself out of bed and headed to the miniature wash room Stefan had in his home. After cleaning up a bit, she nudged Stefan's shoulder a few times to wake him before heading over to her daughters bed. She gently placed her hand on the toddler's face, rubbing her thumb back and forth across her forehead as she whispered for her to wake up. "It's time to wake up now," she mumbled, a small smile gracing her face as her daughters sleep filled eyes opened.

"Morning mama," Haven whispered, her innocent smile both breaking Caroline's heart and putting it back together again all at once.

"Good morning, beautiful girl." The blonde stood up after that, her daughter following her direction and standing up as well before lacing her fingers with her mothers.

As Caroline got the two of them ready, Stefan went outside to round up the horses. He also took it upon himself place a flower over the grave he dug up for Caroline's mother last night, smiling sadly as all the memories he shared with Elizabeth ran through his mind. After breaking out of his reverie, he readied another horse before gathering the food and clothing from the house, placing it on the horses back— though he made sure it wasn't heavy.

Caroline came out with Haven in her arms soon after, the young girl fast asleep against her mothers chest. "We'll start slow," she stated once Stefan noticed the two of them. "I want her to be well rested."

He nodded in understanding, carefully taking the young girl out of her arms so she could climb onto the horse before passing her back over to her mother. After climbing onto his own horse, he looked over at his best friend and sister, his expression sorrowful. "Caroline, I—"

"No need," she replied before he could even finish his sentence. "Thank you, Stefan. You're the best unofficial brother a girl could ask for." They both smiled, thankful for the distraction the comment brought about.

"You're most welcome, _sister_."

With that, they were off. They rode and rode and slept and then rode some more, only ever stopping to eat, sleep, bathe or relieve themselves.

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 **So there it is! The very first chapter. I know some of you might be upset about the Damon/Caroline situation but I had to use a variation of what happened between them in season one as a plot point in this story because it was and is a big part of who Caroline grew to be. A lot of the things canon Caroline had to deal with will be explored here as I feel those things made her the person Klaus 'fancied'. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it! Leave a review and tell me your thoughts and let me know if I should continue with the story! It'd be highly appreciated.**


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